


Lessons in Somnolence

by Syntaxeme



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Beds, F/F, Fluff, Other, Sleep, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-14
Updated: 2015-08-14
Packaged: 2018-04-14 14:34:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4568139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Syntaxeme/pseuds/Syntaxeme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Steven taught her how to sleep, Pearl seems to have taken an intense liking to it. There's still one gem who has trouble with the concept, however. Pearl takes it upon herself to teach Garnet the joys of sleeping, but it may take more than just a comfy bed to do so.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lessons in Somnolence

            “Uh, Steven? Why are you sleeping on the couch?” Amethyst asked, squinting at him in the dark. He mumbled and rolled over, then finally sat up to answer.

            “Pearl’s in my bed,” he said, rubbing his eyes. “And I know how hard it is for her to sleep. I didn’t want to wake her up.”

            “Ugh, you shouldn’t have taught her how in the first place,” Amethyst said. “She likes it way too much. Just kick her out, man; she doesn’t even _need_ to sleep.”

            “Yeah, but…I think maybe it helps her relax. She doesn’t get to do that very often. It’s okay! I don’t mind taking the couch for tonight.” Their conversation was interrupted as the Temple door opened and Garnet strode out of it. “Hi, Garnet. What’s—whoa!” Steven laughed as she wordlessly scooped him up and placed him on top of her head to carry him up the stairs. As he’d said, Pearl was curled up tightly under the covers in his bed, head buried into a pillow so that her dreams wouldn’t broadcast to the entire room.

            “Pearl,” Garnet said calmly. Being rather sensitive to external stimuli and therefore a light sleeper, Pearl stirred and pushed herself up, raising her head to look blearily around the room.

            “Hm?” When her eyes found Garnet and the sleepy Steven resting on her head, she finally blinked her eyes fully open in concern. “Steven! I…what time is it? I must have lost track—I’m so sorry! You could’ve woken me.” She hastily got out of the bed so that Garnet could set Steven down in her place.

            “It’s okay,” he said, pausing for a wide yawn. “You spend a lot of time taking care of me. It’s good for you to turn off sometimes.”

            “Right now, it’s time for _you_ to turn off,” Garnet said, covering his eyes with one hand and planting a kiss on his forehead.

            “Okay, okay,” he laughed. “Good night.”

            “Good night, Steven,” Pearl replied, adding a kiss to his temple as he quickly began to doze again. That was one of several human phrases she had eventually accepted as a custom rather than trying to see the actual point of it. She followed Garnet downstairs, bashfully muttering, “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how long I’d been asleep. It’s just so surprisingly comfortable. I don’t understand why humans go through the ordeal of _eating_ (and all that implies) when they could just regain their energy through sleep!” They found Amethyst sprawled out on the couch now, fast asleep with her head hanging off the edge. Pearl sighed and shook her head at her carelessness, then took the blanket Steven had been using and carefully draped it over her. Taking a step back, she looked at Garnet and asked, “Did you need something, or…?”

            “I have something for you,” she said with the slightest smile, nodding toward the Temple door. “Come on.” Curious, Pearl followed without question. After a moment’s hesitation, she slipped both her arms around one of Garnet’s, holding onto her simply and trying not to blush from the gesture. Garnet opened the door and led the way into her room— _her_ room, even more rarely-seen than the deepest parts of the Temple. It was fairly minimal, dimly-lit, studded here and there with pinkish or blue or deep red stone. It did seem like her in many ways. But on the far wall was something Pearl had certainly not expected to see.

            It was a bed at least twice as large as Steven’s, with four tall posts and translucent curtains layered around the sides. Pearl’s eyes widened, and she wandered over to inspect the inside, pulling the curtains aside to find plush white blankets with gold trim and several soft pillows piled near the headboard. The light that filtered through the curtains was soft and reddish; in all, it felt like a very comfortable space. She turned her eyes back toward Garnet, who was watching her expectantly.

            “You brought this here just for me?” she asked, and Garnet nodded.

            “Wasn’t easy, either. Do you like it?”

            “Of course I do.” Garnet came to sit next to her on the bed, and she sat up to very softly kiss her cheek. “Thank you. Do you…want to try it out with me?”

            “Hmm. I dunno. I’m not as good at it as you are,” Garnet teased.

            “But have you really tried?” Pearl was insistent, only because she knew how nice it felt to relax completely and let her mind go blank for a bit. She was certain Garnet would enjoy it, too.

            “All right. Why don’t you teach me how?”

            Always eager for the opportunity to share her knowledge, even about something as simple as this, Pearl instantly lit up. “Well, the first thing you should do is get into something less constricting,” she said. With a quick pirouette, her clothes became a soft nightgown, simple and functional yet, Garnet realized, surprisingly endearing. After a moment of consideration, she changed into loose shorts and a tank top, blipping her visor away, as well.

            “Now what?”

            “Now lie down,” Pearl said, crawling into the bed and situating herself underneath the covers. Garnet tried lying on top of them at first, but upon seeing the look Pearl was giving her, she conceded and followed the other gem’s lead. “Are you relaxed?”

            “Yes,” Garnet said automatically, though she was still lying board-straight on her back. She looked more bored than anything. Pearl was lost for a moment, trying to decide how she could make this easier. When the solution came to her, it made her cheeks warm slightly, but not enough to keep her from trying. So she scooted closer to her lover (that word alone was enough to give her shivers) and rested her head on Garnet’s chest, one arm draping over her waist. “Pearl? I’m not sure this is right.” Blanching in embarrassment, Pearl immediately pulled away, berating herself for being so bold.

            “Y-you’re right, I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have—!” Her nervous apology was cut off by Garnet’s lips against hers, and she found herself being pressed down into the bed, her back held against the mattress. As their chests pressed together and she felt the warm familiarity of Garnet’s tongue against hers, her eyes fell out of focus, then slipped closed in contented resignation. Even when the kiss ended, Garnet’s lips brushed softly across the corner of her mouth, and she had to turn away to keep herself from begging for more. There was a pause, then her bedmate shifted, slipping her arms around Pearl’s slim waist to pull her back.

            “This feels better,” Garnet said quietly, burying her face into Pearl’s hair.

            “Oh. So, you’re…comfortable, then?” the smaller gem asked, receiving a brief “mm-hm” in answer. With a small smile, she pulled the covers higher on both of them and then rested her arms on top of Garnet’s, surprised at how much better this felt than sleeping alone. For a few moments, neither of them spoke, simply enjoying the comfort of their closeness. But as her consciousness was beginning to fade, she remembered something. “Ahem. Good night, Garnet.” No response. “Garnet?”

            She glanced back to find her lover already sound asleep, forehead pressed into her shoulder. So _that_ was what she needed, after all. Well, there was no sense in waking her for something that trivial. Instead, Pearl snuggled closer and let herself relax, wishing they had learned to do this centuries ago.


End file.
